This undated photo provided by A Thrifty Mom shows the use of shaving cream and liquid food coloring to dye hard-boiled eggs which gives them a tie-dyed effect. It's a tactile project most kids will enjoy. “Using shaving cream our kids thought it smelled great and had fun at every part of the project!" writes Sarah Barrand at her A Thrifty Mom blog. (AP Photo/A Thrifty Mom, Sarah Barrand)

If dyeing Easter eggs with vinegar and colour tablets is feeling old, reach for a new duo: shaving cream and liquid food coloring.

It's a tactile project many kids will enjoy — especially swirling the colours into the cream.

"They thought it was really cool to drop the food coloring into the shaving cream and take the toothpick and swirl it," Sarah Barrand of Caldwell, Idaho, says of her four children.

"And the shaving cream will actually even help clean up the mess afterward," she wrote in her blog, A Thrifty Mom.

As simple as the traditional egg-dyeing method but potentially messier, this method involves filling a deep-sided baking pan or sheet with an inch of shaving cream — no more, to be thrifty — and then smoothing it so colours won't run together. Randomly add drops of two to four colours — more than that "creates brown or ugly green," says Barrand.

With a toothpick or lollipop stick, swirl the colours through the shaving cream, being careful not to over-mix. "Large swirls and loops will give the layering effect," writes Barrand in her blog.

Working from one end of the pan to the other in a straight line, roll a hard-boiled egg through the swirled colours and deposit it in an egg carton to dry. Wear rubber gloves or the food coloring will dye your hands.

Barrand could roll three eggs in a 9-by-9-inch pan before the colours muddied. When that occurs, rinse and dry the pan, add more shaving cream — don't use shaving gel — and start the process anew.

After 3 minutes, clean off an egg to check its colour — likely a light pastel. For darker shades, wait 10 minutes so the food dye has more time to seep into the eggshell. The eggs will look as if they've been tie-dyed.

If you're concerned about using shaving cream on an edible egg, use whipping cream instead, Barrand says. Or blow out the eggs before coloring them.

"An eggshell is porous, so technically if you left it for like a day, I wouldn't recommend eating it, but it's only in the shaving cream for a few minutes," Barrand says. "My kids totally ate all the eggs."

Use a glass pan, if you have it; the liquid colour may stain metal pans where they're scratched or pitted. Create new colours in glass cups before dropping them into the shaving cream.

"Our kids enjoyed every part. With the old tablets and vinegar, they always got bored and thought it smelled," Barrand says in her blog.

Story Tools

This undated photo provided by A Thrifty Mom shows the use of shaving cream and liquid food coloring to dye hard-boiled eggs which gives them a tie-dyed effect. It's a tactile project most kids will enjoy. “Using shaving cream our kids thought it smelled great and had fun at every part of the project!" writes Sarah Barrand at her A Thrifty Mom blog. (AP Photo/A Thrifty Mom, Sarah Barrand)

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.